Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Correlation is the premier Journal of astrological research, and has been in print for over 30 years, carrying papers from all the world's major researchers. Its remit accords with the standard academic requirements that all submissions are peer-reviewed by suitably qualified experts in the fields of astrology, physics, statistics, etc. These requirements can be daunting, and may well put off many AA members, who have great experience of working with astrology on a day-to-day basis but may hesitate from submitting their own thoughts or findings for publication due to a lack of familiarity with the appropriate methodology -or just not having the time or access to sources of data. If this is your situation, then the editor of Correlation wants to hear from you.

Over the coming issues the editor will offer space for AA members to propose new areas of research that may spark off ideas amongst Correlation's subscribers who do have the skills and the time to explore their potential and take them forward. So what would you like to propose?

While you do not have to frame your proposal in any formal way, and so there is no requirement to state any particular methodology, it is always useful to think through your proposal as carefully as possible so as to make your suggestions as clear as possible. Also, keep your definitions clear and simple because these will be the things that you will test (or research). For example, if you think that writers of detective fiction might have Mercury/Pluto aspects in their charts, you might want to consider a couple of important points. For starters, what do you mean by an 'aspect'? Traditional aspects or Quintiles, Septiles, etc? And what is a 'detective writer?' While Agatha Christie certainly fits the bill, Graham Green and Dostoyevsky also wrote much on the psychology of the murderer. Would you expect Agatha Christie -whose work is somewhat short on psychology but ace when it comes to 'clues and plotting'- to have the same patterns as those writers who are more concerned with the extreme consequences of human frailties? If an astrological signifier for 'clues and plotting' is the main idea, then might this be better found in the charts of people who compile crosswords, while Green and Dostoyevsky could be more at home with Freud and Jung? If your definitions have blurred boundaries the chances are you will end up with a blurred answer. So check out what's already been discussed, and find out about the research that has already been done (you can then build upon it) in your specialist area of interest in one of a few databases of astrological research papers that is free to everyone, just log on to www.astrology-research.net

Wittgenstein observed that the clearer you make the question, the closer you are to an answer. But Wittgenstein also stated something even more important, that one cannot say what is a useful question to ask until one has tried to answer it. In other words, ideas that at first glance might seem extremely odd (like Galileo questioning if the Earth was really the centre of the Solar system) might have profound consequences. So there's also room on Correlation's pages to challenge the status quo. with similarly 'odd' ideas. So, over to you. Leave your comments here or visit this article on the AA website for further details as to how to give us your feedback.

2 comments:

I used to subscribe to 'Correlation', but the thought of being 'involved' in it in any way is a little too scary. I did once try to conduct my own research (it was into the efficacy of the theories of Eugen Jonas - astrology and fertility) but I didn't finish it, and it probably wasn't rigorous enough for 'Correlation'.

I have a completed manuscript which details a step process that enables anyone with a date of birth to generate a natal chart when the time of birth is not known. How do I approach this research for peer review? Here is my website...

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